Valuing Professional Japanese Baseball Players and the Role of Statistics, Economics, Culture and Corporate Governance

This article argues that most efficient method to value a Japanese baseballer is not to exclusively rely on one methodology or one group of statistics. The modern game of baseball has evolved that limits the value of traditional statistics, while the overreliance on ‘new age’ statistics like sabermetrics can be equally dangerous. Such perils are demonstrated by the ongoing science project where sabermetricians constantly create new metrics designed to either assess or predict performance. Instead of a ‘one size fits all’ methodology to valuing a professional Japanese baseball player, this article proposes a multi-disciplined approach where the appropriate methodologies can be combined to value a player depending on the standard of competition they compete in, their experience and if the position they play. Such an approach is designed to provide insight into how Japanese baseball consistently produces professional players with skills that can be transferred into successful careers at a higher competitive level in the ‘major leagues’